California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that rejected the Trump Administration’s attempt to expand presidential authority over the deployment of the National Guard on American soil. The ruling, issued in Illinois v. Trump, denied the administration’s request for a stay and maintained a temporary court order blocking federalized National Guard troops from being deployed in Chicago. The Supreme Court determined that the administration did not prove that regular military forces were unable to execute the law and found that 10 U.S.C. 12406 does not authorize using the Guard for protective functions at federal property.
Attorney General Bonta commented on the outcome: “We’ve argued for months against the Trump Administration’s sweeping militarized vision of America. The Supreme Court has now agreed, rejecting the Trump Administration’s unprecedented invocation of a seldom-used statute to justify the limitless deployment of National Guard troops on American soil,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today, Americans can breathe a huge sigh of relief. While this is not necessarily the end of the road, it is a significant, deeply gratifying step in the right direction. We plan to ask the lower courts to reach the same result in our cases—and we are hopeful they will do quickly.”
The California Attorney General’s office serves as the chief law enforcement authority in California, providing legal representation, criminal investigations, forensic support, consumer protections, and civil rights enforcement across the state (official website). The office also advances public policy initiatives such as environmental justice and promotes transparency through public data portals like OpenJustice (official website). Rob Bonta leads this office as part of California’s executive branch (official website).
